You are busier than ever before. Your job demands more, your family has multiple schedules to juggle, and you can't remember the last time you read a book just for the pleasure of reading. Sound familiar? I'm sure you've heard it before, but you need to create a schedule for yourself. When you don't, you're pulled here and there responding to the activities around you, instead of controlling the activities that put demands on your schedule. There are many tools to use for managing your schedule from Stephen Covey, Outlook, a simple calendar grid with your activities blocked out, and many others. There are 2 important keys in any schedule: schedule enough time for the activities you choose to do (this means being realistic about how much time tasks require, delegating some tasks and saying no to other tasks), and stick with it. Which works the best for me? All of them. I have used many different schedulers over the years and find that they all work. The only tough part is to stay disciplined in using them. Are you controlling your time? Or is your time controlling you? I will guarantee that even if you don't quite follow your schedule 100%, you'll be more productive and have more free time than if you don't have any schedule at all.
One of my leadership activities is being a business coach. I help others identify their goals and plan strategies to achieve their goals. Very often, the initial coaching goes something like this- "What are your goals?" "These are my goals." "What do you need to do to achieve these goals?" "I need to do a,b,c." "When do you want to have these goals achieved?" "By this date." And then off they go. OK- so there is more, but this boils it down to the essentials. Next coaching (after they have actually done some of the steps) sometimes goes like this- "No one will a or b." "What was their objection?" "I asked them to a or b for me, and they just said no." "What did you offer them?" "I offered them a or b and they said no." "What was in it for them?" "I didn't even get to tell them because they said no." "So why would they want a or b?&quo
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